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Reise Forrawyn
"The weak will always be led by the strong. Where the strong see purpose and act, the weak follow; where the strong cry out against fate, the weak bow their heads and succumb. There is a terrible darkness descending upon the world, and we shall not see it ended in our lifetimes." -Reise Forrawyn History The daughter of Franz Forrawyn and Walpurga Forrawyn, Reise never knew her mother, who died when she was young. She was well cared for, but her father remained distant from her. She was largely raised by Benno Lang, who was the General of the Army at the time. When injuries forced General Lang to retire and take up the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs, he recommended to the Fuhrer that she be allowed to take his place. Franz Forrawyn granted the request, and Reise Forrawyn has led the army ever since. Personality Reise Forrawyn is as stubborn and iron-willed as her father, but less rigid in her worldview. She is revered by the troops for her bravery and beauty, and respected by the Hexenjägers for her commitment to duty. Many lamented that her elven father was likely to outlive her, as she would, in their estimation, make a worthy Fuhrer of the Reich Nördlich. Fifty hard and bitter years of rule have isolated Reise Forrawyn from the world and made her increasingly solipsistic in her thinking. Her own long lifespan has been a blessing and a curse. It has given her time to consolidate her grip over the largest empire on Terra since Celymnaia of old, defeating and simply outliving any challenges to her authority. It has also cut her off from others, and accumulated memories have led to moments of confusion on her part. She has mistaken men for their fathers, made outdated assumptions about custom and technology, and asked for counsel from long-dead advisers. War of the Philosopher-Kings Reise Forrawyn would accompany her father on all major battles, commanding the regular army in his stead, while he himself commanded the Hexenjägers. She would personally lead the army's outriders, launching strikes on the Nadezhdan supply lines during their invasion of World's End. She would go on to command the Reich's troops in the field during the invasion of Nadezhda, providing cover for her father's Hexenjägers. She would accompany her father to Xiclotl, but at his command, she would keep her men in reserve while the Hexenjägers attacked the northern dome. After the deaths of Brennen and Franz Forrawyn, she would negotiate with General Warrizek, the highest ranking imperial officer. The two would reach an accord, and merge their forces. Claiming the title of Kaiserin, she and the General would go on to unify the shattered countries of the north, creating the Reich. Reise Forrawyn would be ejected from the Holy Council due to her refusal to disclose the location of Khamsa, an action that likely perpetuated the war on her own terms. Her departure would mark the the decline of the Holy Council as a credible institution. Already widely scorned for its toothless authority and inability to prevent the War of the Philosopher-Kings, the absence of the world's most powerful absence would make its meetings increasingly worthless. After the War Reise Forrawyn would dispatch Shorden Hiem, newly appointed General of the Hexenjägers, to conquer New Arendur. After the general's untimely death, she would undertake a fact finding expedition to New Arendur, and determine that his passing was an accident. She would think little of the colonies, taking satisfaction in the destruction of the Illuminated, and dismissing the survivors as beneath her notice. Reise Forrawyn would devote the decades to come to hold her vast, unwieldy empire together and ensure tenuous peace in the process. Single minded and ruthless in the pursuit of her goal, she would fail to see that the world around her was changing. In particular, she would dismiss growing reports of the return of the great old ones, failing to grasp their significance. This would be her great failure. Truly dangerous men, such as Flavius Luteus Scaevola, came into power under her watch because of their shared commitment to peace, while potential allies such as Arthur Coralis of World's End or Kuldeep of Shangare were dismissed out of hand. Succession As Reise Forrawyn grew older, the issue of succession would start to arise. She would refuse to name an heir, believing that to do so would be to allow power to coalesce around a possible rival. No one could picture a Reich without her at the helm, and by keeping her subjects in fear of an uncertain future, she believed she could consolidate her authority. There have occasionally been murmurs of the possibility of a marriage pact, with potential husbands either being from abroad - such as King Ludwig of Ragnarok or King Welvog Tare of Rhomduil, or from within the Reich - such as Flavius Luteus Scaevola of New Arendur, or Roger Adler of Nadezhda. Reise Forrawyn has laughed all such suggestions off. There are three main factions to succeed her. * Immanuel Kalbfleisch, the General of the Hexenjägers, is supported by the majority of Hexenjägers, and has sympathizers amongst the nobility and the army. * Roger Adler, the Gauletier of Nadezhda, is supported by the Hexenjägers who do not support Klabfleisch, and by those in his province, who consider him a shrewd but fair ruler. * Parsifal Garver, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, is supported by the majority of the nobility and the civil service, and has many sympathetic contacts abroad. In addition to the three main factions, there are other power players whose support is crucial. * Eugen Marquerink, the Admiral of the Kriegsmarine, and Sascha Glas, the Gauletier of Guilddon, who are married, effectively control the seas and could shut down commerce and travel if they wished. * Mareike Maus, the Commander of the Luftwaffe, enjoys fanatical loyal from her men, and has given little indication about what she would do in the event of Reise Forrawyn's passing. * Irmingard Abeln, the Gauletier of Jotunheim, controls a vast amount of territory, equal to about half the Reich's land mass, and is believed by some to be considering a bid for independence when Reise Forrawyn dies, and is supported in this by many local tribesmen and power brokers. Of the other remaining high-ranking officials in the Reich, Freidhold Konnigsmann, the Minister of Justice, might have been a contender, were it not for his age. Lara Schultheis, Regula Beringer, and Johannes Melsbach, the Ministers of Commerce, Science, and Culture respectively, lack the power and support to matter, as does Dietrich Stoppelbein, the Gauleiter of New Arendur, who is also too far away to influence events in the capital. Traugott Jans, the Gauletier of the Northern Administrative Zone, has been missing for months. Liselotte Gehrig, the General of the Heer, has made clear that she will be neutral in a power struggle, and it is likely that her soldiers would disperse to other factions in such an event. And yet, Reise Forrawyn could outlive them all. These are not, after all, the first men and women who have dreamed to rule the Reich. If Reise Forrawyn were to die in New Arendur on her trip to celebrate the semi-centennial, Roger Adler would proclaim himself Kaiser of the Reich, with Parsifal Garver as his First Minister, Sascha Glas as his General of the Hexenjägers, and Eugen Marquerink as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Armed Forces. Irmingard Abeln would secede as the Kaiserin of Jotunheim, but offer her alliance to the new Kaiser in return for recognition of Jotunheim's independence. Mareike Maus would proclaim herself Fuhrer of the Reich, with Immanuel Klabfleisch as her Deputy Fuhrer and with the support of Dietrich Stoppelbein. The civil war would begin from there. Category:Half-Elves Category:Reich Nördlich Category:Snowball Earth Category:Utgard Category:Monarchs Category:The Reich